DVIDS – News – Company praises financial secondment for exceptional service

SZCZECIN, Poland – The nine U.S. Army (NATO) company command teams regularly travel throughout their areas of responsibility in various countries as part of their duty to care for their assigned soldiers, civilian employees and families.

During a recent trip to Poznan, Poland, Co. C, Allied Forces North Battalion company commander and first sergeant, stopped for a visit and to thank the soldiers of the 368th Financial Management Support Unit for their assistance with salary issues.

“The 368th FMSU provides financial support for processing a variety of pay entitlements during Soldiers’ overseas tours,” said Sgt. 1st Class John Rutherford, U.S. national support element noncommissioned officer in charge of the NATO Joint Force Training Center in Bydgoszcz, Poland. “They also act as our subject matter experts when verifying payment and can identify any missing entitlements and advise on the processes to complete the required documentation in a timely manner.”

Rutherford added that the gratitude to the finance unit was especially meaningful because the delay if finance actions had occurred during a mission handoff between two finance units.

“I believe their support is vital during transitions for all new military service members and their families, regardless of whether it is deployed overseas or in the United States,” Rutherford said. “It is a stressful time and successfully initiating entitlements within the first 30 days is necessary due to the large amount of money spent on hotels, food, incidentals, security deposit, realtor fees and possibly several months of rent when signing a location.

The amount of money spent in the first 60 days in the country is sometimes overwhelming, so their support, as if they were in a fully supported garrison, allows the family to immerse themselves in the new location and culture,” he said.

“What really made their support remarkable was that Captain (Sheroquai) Hansen saw a company in need of assistance and willingly dedicated himself to prioritizing the financial needs of our soldiers to ensure their pay was accurate, allowing full focus on the mission,” Rutherford said. “Staff Sgt. (Brandon) Harris and the team processed a backlog of over 40 financial claims that impacted military personnel across all of our locations.”

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